UFCW Stewards

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UFCW Stewards

Together for Quality and Affordable Health Care Reform

Oct 11, 2009

 

UFCW members know there is a health care crisis in this country. We see it firsthand, every day. We fight at the bargaining table for good health insurance for ourselves and our families. We see our friends and neighbors affected by medical bills they cannot pay.
But this crippling problem is not something union members can solve at the bargaining table. It is a national problem, and it demands a national solution. The fact is that health insurance is taking up an increasingly larger and larger share of our total compensation. Anyone who has sat around a bargaining table hammering out a quality health plan that is affordable both for workers and for our employers knows that something has to be done. That’s why UFCW members are standing together to fix this critical problem.
Our demand of Congress is clear— every American must have access to quality affordable health care. Thousands of UFCW members across the country are reaching out to their members of Congress, and telling them that real health care reform cannot wait.
We know that real health reform must have certain key elements:
Shared responsibility by employers.  Big employers like Walmart shouldn’t be allowed to duck their responsibility to provide quality health coverage for their workers— especially when so many more responsible, union employers do pay their fair share.
A choice of a public insurance option. To keep the insurance companies honest, and ensure that American workers will always have an affordable plan available, we need the choice of a public health insurance plan.
Keep our coverage affordable. So that everyone can achieve access to health care, reform shouldn’t include a tax on health benefits. Any tax on health care would unfairly penalize people who are lucky enough to have coverage—especially union members who have fought hard to keep health care affordable.
Big business and the insurance companies are working together to keep us from achieving real reform.
That’s why it’s so important for UFCW members to take a stand in this fight. If thousands of us across the country contact our members of Congress, encourage our friends and neighbors to join us, and work for health care reform—we can achieve it. You can learn more about the issue and get the latest updates on the legislative fight at www.ufcwhealthcarenow.org. You can also call your Representative or Senator today. Call 1-888-743-4403 or visit www.ufcwactnow.org and enter your information. We’ll then make it easy for you to speak to your member of Congress.

UFCW Stewards

Be Prepared to Act When Injuries Occur

Jun 11, 2009

 

Even in a safe workplace, injuries are sometimes unavoidable. If a worker is injured, it is important that she or he get immediate medical attention.
Stewards should be prepared to act if an injury occurs during their shift.
“If a coworker is injured we should know what to do,” said Jorge Palomera- Angel, a steward from UFCW Local 22, who works at a meatpacking plant in Fremont, Neb. “As stewards, we should make sure that our coworkers receive immediate and proper medical attention if they get injured on the job.”
Palomera-Angel has been a steward for over six year at his plant. He said that during this time he has always helped coworkers who were injured on the job.
“When a coworker gets injured, the most important thing to do is to act as fast as you can,” said Palomera-Angel. “Immediately after the incident, notify your line supervisor and, if possible, accompany your coworker to your plant’s nurse’s office, if they have one.”
He said that it is important to be with the injured coworker while filing the injury or incident report with management.
“Try to help with the report. If you saw the incident, include yourself as a witness, or try to find other coworkers who were present at that time,” said Palomera- Angel. “Make sure that the report is complete and accurate. This will help to resolve any possible future conflicts.”
Palomera-Angel said that many workers don’t take full advantage of their health insurance.
“When people get injured, sometimes they just go to their company’s nurse office and their health worsens, because they don’t visit a physician right away,” he said. “I’ve known people who don’t want to go to the doctor because they are afraid of the costs.”
Palorema-Angel, a father of four, said he feels very fortunate to work in a unionized plant because of the great health care benefits.
“I have some friends who work in a non-union plant and they have to pay way too much money for their health insurance. We are lucky to have a union and a good contract,” he said.
Stewards should be acquainted with their company’s health insurance policy so they can guide and advise other workers who might need this benefit, said Palomera-Angel.
“Sometimes injuries go unreported because workers don’t say they are injured and don’t go to the doctor. We cannot improve safety at our plants if workers don’t step forward and report an injury, even if it is a small cut,” he said.
Palomera-Angel said that workers should visit their own primary care physician, even after they have been treated by the company’s medical services.
“Some of my coworkers don’t want to take time off to go and see the doctor. Many of them don’t know that we have sick leave in our contract,” he said.
Stewards should be familiar with their contract’s sick leave and extended sick leave policies, Palomera-Angel said.
“Stewards play an important role in improving the safety at the plant. We are in a union because we support each other, and that means looking out for each other’s health and safety,” he said.

UFCW Stewards

Ask Your Elected Officials to Support the Employee Free Choice Act

Apr 08, 2009

 

Celia Cisneros never imagined that she would need to harvest grapes for 12 hours a day during a hot California summer, just to make ends meet. But she had no other option — she was fired from her job at a poultry plant in Potterville, Calif.
The reason: she says it’s because she is a union supporter.
Cisneros, 53, a resident of Lindsey, Calif., has worked for almost eight years at this Potterville poultry plant. During all this time, she was known as a model worker. She just wanted decent wages, benefits and respect at work for her and her coworkers.
“When I heard that the UFCW was organizing the plant I was very excited. I knew that this was our chance to improve our standards of living,” Cisneros said. “I began talking to my coworkers about the union. They were supporting the union. I was sure that we were going to win the election.”
Instead, the union lost the election, thanks to the behavior of the company.
“The supervisors began intimidating workers,” said Cisneros. “People became afraid. They didn’t want to lose their jobs and when they arrived to the ballot box the company left them with no other option.”
Celia Cisneros was fired four months later. She found herself desperate with bills to pay, a husband with a chronic disease, and four children to take care of.

 

The union filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). After investigating her case, the NLRB ordered the company to rehire Cisneros.

 

Cisneros knows that she is not alone, and that many other workers across America have to struggle to join a union. Last month she joined other workers fromdifferent states and traveled to Washington D.C., to show her support for the Employee Free Choice Act by talking directly to her elected officials.

 

UFCW members and workers visited their members of Congress to share their stories of trying to organize their workplace.
“I came to the nation’s capital to let our elected politicians know that we, the workers, want to see the Employee Free Choice Act become a law,” Cisneros said.
The Employee Free Choice Act is a bill that will help strengthen the economy by making it easier for workers in America to join a union and bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The Employee Free Choice Act is the best way to expand the nation’s middle class and stimulate the economy.
UFCW stewards around the nation have been supporting the Employee Free Choice Act by urging their coworkers to sign pledge cards and to contact their elected officials.
Their effort has not been in vain. Earlier this year, hundreds of workers met in front of the Capitol to deliver these pledge cards.
And thanks to the effort of hundreds of members who volunteered to support the presidential campaign of President Obama, now the nation has a leader who is on the side of workers.

 

President Obama has said that“unions are part of the solution.”
But we cannot take anything for granted. It is more critical than ever to support the Employee Free Choice Act.
“We came to the nation’s capital because all of our senators need to know that we are counting on their vote in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act,” said Armando Martinez, a steward from Local 22 in Freemont, N.E.
All stewards should urge their coworkers to contact their U.S. senators and let them know that they are counting on their support.
“Call their office, write a letter, send an e-mail, if you want to visit them personally even better. It is important that senators know that all workers are behind
the Employee Free Choice Act,” Martinez said.
Stewards can find sample letters and find out how to contact their elected officials at www.ufcwforfreechoice.org.
Celia Cisneros’ dream is to have a union at her plant, so she never again has to fear losing her job and being intimidated by her supervisors.
“We are all in this together,” said Cisneros. “The Employee Free Choice Act will give us the freedom to choose a better life by joining a union.”